Dome Council
A 'Dome Council' is a municipal governmental group. Purpose Dome Councils are as varied as they are commonplace from city to city. Unlike what the name would suggest, however, the Council does not actively draft, pass or repeal laws, nor does it unilaterally decide courses of legal action. Instead, a Dome Council's function is to take information gained officially, unofficially and colloquially, organize it and present each issue before the people of their dome city within the purview of what is called a Town Meet- an intermittent meeting of citizens both personally and via distance where official and unofficial business can be done. Each Council is staffed by what are referred to as Arbitrators. Far from what the name would imply, an Arbitrator is not empowered with any decision-making abilities. Instead, it is the purpose of each and every one to pick a side of the issue to be discussed (of which there are several, as binary choices are seen as oversimplistic), research it, and argue that side logically. Arbitrators not only have to contend with others, as ordinary citizens are permitted to voice their arguments as well and offer information and facts (if substantiated), but the proceedings are heavily officiated by impartial listeners, and fallacious arguments will not stand long. Caveats and Safeguards Logic alone cannot properly govern a people, and it is with this in mind that at least one Arbitrator must, on any given issue, seriously argue the position of the public psyche and the impact of any issue upon it. Solutions that may be rational and logical may also be completely unpalatable for most, and thus this is an important consideration that is always taken seriously. By no means does this coddle the populace, however, as the affect to the public consciousness is always weighed against the severity of any given issue. Most often it merely serves as impetus to find a less controversial solution, and motivates those who would be disaffected to join in the conversation constructively. Votes Voting is done in the case that a clear course of action could not be found. Voting is generally regarded as an unfavorable last resort, and both the public and officials consider it a failure of government to be forced into this type of decision, as it carries with it many risks, including the Tyranny of the Majority. However, the impetus to make an unfavorable decision is not completely placed upon citizens; if they believe that the issue is simply unsolvable with the solutions given, or the Arbitrators were ill-prepared, they can vote to Postpone, which will restart the debate at a later date. Practicality As one could imagine, not every little building, business or backstep can be brought during a Town Meet. If something is not viewed as controversial and is otherwise shown to be a course of action practical to the running of the city, the Council will simply greenlight it, to be brought up on a larger scale only if a citizen deems it necessary. Category:Groups